December 2

12/03/12

       Gianna slept through the night again!! J  She is very happy and content as long as she sleeps next to me.  If Joel tries to pick her up and take her to the crib, she immediately wakes up and starts howling. Once Joel returns her to bed, she nuzzles up as close to me as possible and goes back to sleep instantly.  We went down to Café Veranda for breakfast and ate our usual foods.

       Once we returned from breakfast, we met our tour guide, Jocelyn, and the other families in the lobby.  Gianna gave Brittany and I oodles of kisses.  We hopped on a bus and went to get Gianna’s Visa photo.  Her U.S. passport photo is so different than the China passport photo just taken a few days ago.  Her face signifies peacefulness and serenity.  Clearly, she is our little angel and we are incredibly grateful that she is part of our family.  We walked around the corner for her medical exam.  The medical exam consisted of an ENT Doctor, the general screening, and Medical Doctor Exam.  The exams noted a very healthy baby girl.  She had a bacterial skin infection mainly on her legs, but these spots have practically vanished. 

        We returned to the hotel for the group visa paperwork.  Once that was finished, we took a cab to Beijing Lu Pedestrian Shops.  The seemingly endless streets were filled with stores on both sides. It was incredibly crowded. Our first stop was for Gelato, I got chocolate chip cookie flavor, Joel got mint chocolate chip, and Brittany got Strawberry. They came out with a nice presentation with a scoop of coffee flavor on top of the cone. Amazing!  Brittany bought a purse and a watch while there.  Joel and I opted not to buy anything.  After a couple of hours of walking, we headed back to the hotel.  We were exhausted and famished, so we decided to order Papa John’s Pizza.  We ordered a Rice Bake for Gianna (which she loved).  We played with Gianna for a while, gave her a bath (which she still dislikes), and went fast to sleep!